Disclaimer: Fight the New Drug is a non-religious and non-legislative awareness and education organization. Some of the issues discussed in the following article are legislatively-affiliated. Though our organization is non-legislative, we fully support the regulation of already illegal forms of pornography and sexual exploitation, including the fight against sex trafficking.
At Fight the New Drug, our mission is to spread awareness on the harmful effects of pornography using science, facts, and personal accounts. We advocate for a world free of sexual exploitation. We are non-religious and non-legislative, and we believe that the voices of survivors must be heard, supported, and amplified.
We are committed to standing with survivors.
Right now, a pivotal moment is unfolding for over survivors of Jeffrey Epstein’s trafficking network, and what happens next matters deeply.
While public discussion around the release of the Epstein files has often become political, our focus as a non-legislative nonprofit is simply to highlight how this development affects the broader fight against sexual exploitation, especially what it means to the survivors of Jeffrey Epstein.
Recently, the President of the United States signed a bill known as the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which requires the Department of Justice to release all unclassified documents, communications, and investigative records related to Epstein’s crimes and his death.
Although there are conditions surrounding how the materials will be handled and what information may be redacted, the DOJ is now legally required to make the files public within a 30-day window.
It was just in September that survivors gathered in Washington, D.C., urging lawmakers to release all documents, demanding full transparency around how Epstein operated and how institutions failed to stop him. And more recently, the organization World Without Exploitation recently shared a video highlighting survivors’ pleas for action.
Disclaimer: The video below was created and is owned by World Without Exploitation, an organization that is not affiliated with Fight the New Drug. While the video may reference legislative efforts, Fight the New Drug remains a non-legislative organization.
Now that the files are set to be released, what does this mean for Epstein’s survivors and survivors everywhere?
“I Was 14. No One Helped Me Find the Words.”
According to the Justice Department, Epstein victimized at least 1,000 women and children.
He was accused of running an international sex trafficking ring recruiting girls as young as 14, but died by suicide while awaiting trial, just one month after his arrest.
Survivor Carolyn Andriano shared the painful truth of how young she was when she was brought into Epstein’s world. According to her statements documented in NBC News and The Guardian, she was only 14 years old when the abuse began.
She recalled being promised an opportunity introduced by a friend, but instead being met with manipulation, coercion, and fear. She was repeatedly forced, coerced, and manipulated into repeated sex with Epstein. She described how adults around her normalized the exploitation, making it even harder to recognize the abuse for what it was.
“I was a kid,” she said. “I didn’t know how to say no.”
Standing years later in Washington, she used her voice not to relive trauma, but to claim power:
“We deserve the truth… and to know who allowed this to continue.”
Although Andriano passed away in 2023, her family and fellow survivors are hopeful that they are much closer to getting the full story with the release of the files. Her story is one of many — but her willingness to speak gave others permission to breathe, to confront, and to heal.
As we consider the impact of the files’ release, another survivor, Annie Farmer, reminds us, “Please remember that these are crimes that were committed against real humans, real individuals.”
Why This Moment Matters for Survivors
When these documents are released, the impact is profound.
Validation.
For years, many survivors say they were ignored, dismissed, or disbelieved. When federal documents confirm what they’ve been saying all along, it brings long-overdue recognition of the validity of their experience.
Accountability.
Survivors and advocates, including those represented by World Without Exploitation, emphasize that exploitation thrives in systems where powerful people are protected. Public records help expose who enabled Epstein and how oversight failed.
Prevention.
Understanding how abuse operated, from the grooming methods to the institutional silence, helps us stop future exploitation before it begins.
Epstein survivors say they seek answers, closure, and transparency for their own healing and justice for the crimes committed against them as minors.
Why Listening to Survivors Matters
Listening is not passive; it is transformational. And it is one of the most powerful tools in the fight against sexual exploitation.
Listening restores dignity.
When survivors speak, they reclaim something exploitation tried to steal: their sense of worth. Being heard tells them, You matter. Your experience matters.
Listening exposes patterns of exploitation.
Survivor accounts often identify predatory tactics long before formal investigations do. Their stories reveal:
- How grooming begins
- Where systems fail
- Which red flags are ignored
- What allows exploitation to spread
- Who or what groups were responsible
These insights are invaluable in designing prevention tools, education, and protective policies.
Listening builds a world where silence cannot protect abusers.
Sex trafficking and exploitation survive in environments where victims fear speaking and communities fear listening. When we amplify survivor voices, we dismantle that silence.
Listening empowers survivor-led change.
Organizations like World Without Exploitation emphasize that survivor leadership is essential to ending sexual abuse and exploitation. Their lived insights shape better laws, better protections, and better prevention models.
What This Means for the Road Ahead
For survivors, healing often includes reclaiming their narrative, and the release of the Epstein files offers that on a national scale. It says: your story was real, your pain was real, and the world is finally listening.
For advocates and allies, including those connected with Fight the New Drug, this moment is a clear call to action for all of us: to listen, to support survivors, and to stand with them through the ups and downs of their healing. We must stand beside survivor-led movements.
The more we listen, the more we understand. And the more we understand, the closer we get to ending exploitation before it starts.
Why Transparency Must Be Paired With Care
Survivors have been clear: they want these documents released—but with protections in place.
According to reporting by CBS News , survivors emphasize the need for trauma-sensitive redactions and for documents to be handled with care.
This moment is not about sensationalism but about truth, accountability, and healing.
When the Epstein files are released, they will become tools—tools for acknowledgment, for structural change, and for prevention.
But the most powerful tools of all are the survivors themselves.
Their stories guide us. Their courage teaches us.
Their voices show us how to fight sexual exploitation at its roots.
If you or someone you know has been impacted by sexual exploitation, please know there are resources available.
At Fight the New Drug, we exist to educate, support, and stand with survivors everywhere.
Their voices matter.
Your voice matters.
And together, we can build a world where exploitation has nowhere to hide.
Your Support Matters Now More Than Ever
Most kids today are exposed to porn by the age of 12. By the time they’re teenagers, 75% of boys and 70% of girls have already viewed itRobb, M.B., & Mann, S. (2023). Teens and pornography. San Francisco, CA: Common Sense.Copy —often before they’ve had a single healthy conversation about it.
Even more concerning: over half of boys and nearly 40% of girls believe porn is a realistic depiction of sexMartellozzo, E., Monaghan, A., Adler, J. R., Davidson, J., Leyva, R., & Horvath, M. A. H. (2016). “I wasn’t sure it was normal to watch it”: A quantitative and qualitative examination of the impact of online pornography on the values, attitudes, beliefs and behaviours of children and young people. Middlesex University, NSPCC, & Office of the Children’s Commissioner.Copy . And among teens who have seen porn, more than 79% of teens use it to learn how to have sexRobb, M.B., & Mann, S. (2023). Teens and pornography. San Francisco, CA: Common Sense.Copy . That means millions of young people are getting sex ed from violent, degrading content, which becomes their baseline understanding of intimacy. Out of the most popular porn, 33%-88% of videos contain physical aggression and nonconsensual violence-related themesFritz, N., Malic, V., Paul, B., & Zhou, Y. (2020). A descriptive analysis of the types, targets, and relative frequency of aggression in mainstream pornography. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 49(8), 3041-3053. doi:10.1007/s10508-020-01773-0Copy Bridges et al., 2010, “Aggression and Sexual Behavior in Best-Selling Pornography Videos: A Content Analysis,” Violence Against Women.Copy .
From increasing rates of loneliness, depression, and self-doubt, to distorted views of sex, reduced relationship satisfaction, and riskier sexual behavior among teens, porn is impacting individuals, relationships, and society worldwideFight the New Drug. (2024, May). Get the Facts (Series of web articles). Fight the New Drug.Copy .
This is why Fight the New Drug exists—but we can’t do it without you.
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Will you join us? We’re grateful for whatever you can give—but a recurring donation makes the biggest difference. Every dollar directly supports our vital work, and every individual we reach decreases sexual exploitation. Let’s fight for real love:
